When Richfield became a booming suburb after World War II, development followed a classic pattern.

First a little rambler was built. A few years later, when people could afford it, a garage went up. And a few years after that, a breezeway joined the two.

History takes a turn later this month when, for the first time, Richfield will require builders of new single-family homes to erect a garage at the same time.

While the rule sounds pedestrian -- who doesn't want a garage in snowy Minnesota? -- many other cities don't have such a requirement, and it has raised questions about new-home affordability in one of the Twin Cities' oldest suburbs.

"It's another form of exclusionary zoning through codes, basically, upping the price of what it takes to live in a community," said Becky Yust, a University of Minnesota professor of housing studies.

"If a garage adds a minimum $20,000 to the price of a house, that could be $150 more a month interest" on a mortgage payment.

Richfield City Council Member Fred Wroge, part of the 3-1 majority that recently approved the change, doubts that it will have much effect. While one council member opposed the measure because she was worried about affordability, Wroge wants to keep yards free of cars, bikes, lawn mowers, lumber and other stuff.

"If I get 100 phone calls from residents, 99 of them are about people not cutting their grass or having junk all over the yard," he said. "These are quality-of-life issues."

In the past, Wroge said, new houses sometimes were sited poorly on lots, making it difficult to easily add a garage.

"We're losing good families because they don't have room to expand," he said. "I'm adamant that when someone builds a home, they at least build a single-car garage."

Until now, Richfield's city code required that new single-family dwellings include garage space for two vehicles or enough space for a two-car garage. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Minnetonka, Roseville and St. Louis Park have similar ordinances or rules that require off-street parking pads. Edina is an exception, requiring two fully enclosed parking spaces for each new single-family home.

Zoning officials in several suburbs said developers almost never build a house without putting up a garage. In Bloomington, the bigger problem is homeowners who want gargantuan garages, said Bob Hawbaker, planning and economic development manager. The city recently turned down a homeowner's request to build a 10-car garage.

But Richfield isn't alone in wanting to require garages with new homes. Minneapolis is likely to consider such a change this fall, said City Council Member Gary Schiff. He said Minneapolis officials are concerned about low-quality homes being built on vacant lots that the city is selling through auctions.

"We want [new homes] to match the existing character of the neighborhood," he said. "To cut corners, developers don't build a garage. That can force tenants to park in the streets, or have a parking pad surrounded by all the stuff you normally would have in a garage."

He isn't convinced that requiring garages would curb home ownership.

"Home ownership and affordability are so complex; you can't point to one aspect," he said. When cars parked in the open become targets for theft, he said, insurance rates can go up for the entire neighborhood. "Everyone benefits when insurance rates don't go up."

Richfield's amended ordinance requires new single-family homes up to 1,200 square feet to include a one-car garage. Bigger homes would need at least a two-car garage. John Stark, Richfield's interim director of community development, said part of the council's rationale for the change was that today people own so much more stuff that needs stashing away.

"When homes were built without garages 40, 50 or 60 years ago, the world was very different," he said. "Most people had one car, and people didn't have the toys we have today."

Yust understands the need for storage but said Richfield already has ordinances about keeping yards uncluttered. Richfield's own history indicates that people add garages when they can afford them, she said.

"Why do you have to require something that ultimately will be there?" she asked. "At a time when costs are going up all over, for a community to do this ... is a concern."

She and her husband have lived in St. Paul for decades. They park their two cars in the driveway, because their tiny 1920s garage holds bikes and other possessions.

Yust said that is just fine with her. But she joked that in her next life, "I'm going to marry someone who will get up at 7 a.m. and brush the snow off the car."

Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380